Mallorca rent row: PSOE claims near-60% Balearic rise

In Palma, Mallorca, a claim that rents across the Balearic Islands have risen by nearly 60% in three years fuels a fight over rent caps. Socialist MP Amanda Fernández raised the figure on Tuesday, 6 October 2026, as her party pushed to apply state housing rules in the islands. Regional housing minister José Luis Mateo rejected a cap, saying it had made matters worse wherever it had been introduced.

Fernández urged the People's Party to back the Socialists’ proposed law to apply those rules. Her party wants the islands designated as areas where housing is under pressure.

Another Socialist MP, Mercedes Garrido, said the number of homes offered for long-term rent fell by 20% from 2023 to 2025, citing figures from Mateo’s department. She accused him of failing to stop homes shifting to seasonal and room lets. Mateo said he favoured clearer rules for both types of rental, but wanted incentives rather than bans. His department had launched a plan to inspect breaches of housing rules, he said.

The two sides also clashed over compensation for property owners affected by a 2020 decree and its extensions. Asked by Socialist MP Carles Bona about claims from investment funds, Mateo blamed the PSOE for rules he said made no distinction between small owners, companies and funds. He gave no compensation figure.

Topics: Migration · Housing · Politics · Palma

Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com